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Technology Stocks : Applied Materials No-Politics Thread (AMAT) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: matt dillabough who wrote (18984)	5/18/2006 9:22:47 AM
From: etchmeister	Respond to of 25522

The sources indicated that Samsung, Hynix Semiconductor and Micron Technology had all expressed concern over their inventory. That's not what the doomer and glomer would like to hear supposedly every car will require to have a rear view mirror camera (my understanding the CMOS semsors are manufactured on legacy DRAM lines) Micron to Unveil 8-Megapixel Image Chip Thursday May 18, 2:33 am ET By Christopher Smith, Associated Press Writer Micron to Unveil 8-Megapixel Image Chip for Cameras and Phones BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- Chip-maker Micron Technology Inc. to unveil a thumbnail-sized digital sensor that enables pocket-sized cameras and cell phones to capture bursts of 10 high-quality photos in a single second or even high-definition video. ADVERTISEMENT click here Production of the new 8-megapixel digital image sensor is expected to begin early next year at Micron's fabrication plants in Idaho and Italy, the Boise-based company said Thursday. Devices using the new chip should reach consumers by late 2007 and will feature high-speed, high-megapixel digital photography capabilities normally found in more expensive, single-lens reflex cameras. Micron did not identify any customers in its announcement. "We're saying it can go in a point-and-shoot camera selling in the $200 to $300 range," said Suresh Venkatrama, Micron's director of the digital camera segment. "It brings high-quality digital video and photography down to the consumer space." The new sensor is a type of chip known as a "complementary metal-oxide semiconductor," or CMOS. Analysts say the technology, which is also used in memory chips and microprocessors, will challenge the dominance of traditional light-sensing charge-coupled devices, or CCDs. "With CMOS' lower power consumption, cost advantages and the ability to integrate more functionality onto the chip set, CCD is under a lot of pressure in this market," said Jeff Hayes, director of consumer imaging for InfoTrends in Weymouth, Mass. But Chris Chute, research manager for IDC Digital Imaging Solutions in Framingham, Mass. said it may take a while for the new sensor to become commonplace in consumer cameras. Most digital cameras are made in Japan and manufacturers there tend to buy image sensors from Japanese suppliers, who primarily produce CCD chips. "This will immediately appeal to photography enthusiasts, but the average consumer is really more of a middle- to late-adopter and doesn't pay attention to the specs and features as much," said Chute. "You are probably going to see this in mainstream digital cameras and high-end cell phones in another year or so." Micron's new sensor includes a faster processor that eliminates usual point-and-shoot delays between taking pictures. That means users can shoot up to 10 images per second at 8-megapixel resolution or 30 frames per second at a resolution of 2-megapixels. A 2-megapixel digital picture file can be printed in the normal 4-inch-by-6-inch format without noticeable graininess while an 8-megapixel picture can be printed in the larger 8x10 format without a loss of quality. The sensor's rapid capture rate and high resolution also allows smaller cameras to incorporate features such as image stabilization, faster auto-focus, higher quality digital zoom and recording HD video, said Micron, which also is the largest U.S. manufacturer of computer memory chips. "There is growing interest in mobile video, especially among younger consumers," Hayes said . "With large memory chips coming out on camera phones, you are talking about capturing 20 to 30 minutes of HD-quality video on a mobile device and that pushes the consumer closer to where they consider using their phone as an everyday camcorder and camera." On the Net: micron.com

To: matt dillabough who wrote (18984)	5/19/2006 8:26:40 AM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25522

UPDATE 1-N. American chip equipment orders rise in April Thu May 18, 2006 7:22 PM ET (Updates with historical data, SEMI comment, background) SAN FRANCISCO, May 18 (Reuters) - North American suppliers of semiconductor manufacturing equipment reported April orders of $1.6 billion, 16 percent higher than the previous month, a U.S. trade group said on Thursday. The book-to-bill ratio was 1.11 in April, meaning that for every $100 of products shipped, $111 in new orders were booked, Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International said in a preliminary report. The book-to-bill ratio is watched as an indicator of the demand pipeline for chipmaking tools, which can take months to build and deliver. April's ratio compared with the revised March rate of 1.03 and was the highest level in two years, since the ratio hit 1.13 in April 2004. "This continued trend points to increasing confidence in the market and a healthy year-over-year billings growth in 2006," Stanley Meyers, president of SEMI, said in a statement. Major suppliers of microchip capital equipment include Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT.O: Quote, Profile, Research), Novellus Systems Inc. (NVLS.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and KLA-Tencor (KLAC.O: Quote, Profile, Research). Mike Splinter, chief executive of Applied Materials, the biggest chip equipment supplier in the world, said earlier this week that the industry, known for its dramatic boom-bust cycles, was the healthiest it has been in years. Following are details on North American chip equipment bookings, billings and the book-to-bill ratio. Figures for bookings and billings are three-month moving averages, and are shown in millions of U.S. dollars. Billings Bookings Book-to-Bill November 1,179.7 1,093.2 0.93 December 1,223.6 1,142.7 0.93 January 1,259.4 1,225.9 0.97 February 1,283.3 1,293.2 1.01 March (final) 1,338.7 1,385.3 1.03 April (prelim) 1.448.5 1.602.4 1.11